Toni Braxton, Un-Break My Heart | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

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In the 3^rd edition of Throwback Vibez (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Un-Break My Heart” by Grammy-winning R&B singer, Toni Braxton.

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez ! Throwback Vibez is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past. The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ancient – no fossils ! All genres of music are welcome. In the 3^rd edition of Throwback Vibez (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Un-Break My Heart”, performed by Toni Braxton.

“Don’t leave me in all this pain,” Toni Braxton sings in the first verse of her adult contemporary R&B classic, “Un-Break My Heart”. She adds in the same verse, “Bring back those nights when I held you beside me.” As the title makes crystal clear, matters of the heart, specifically heartbreak, plagued a young Braxton back in the day, specifically, 1996. “Un-Break My Heart,” the biggest hit of her career, was a dominant no. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, crowning the charts for 11 weeks. A platinum certified single, “Un-Break My Heart” earned Braxton one of her seven Grammys – Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. As for the song’s parent album, Secrets, it’s been certified octuple platinum.

There are a plethora of reasons why “Un-Break My Heart” is a timeless classics not only from the 1990s, but all time. First and foremost, it is the distinct, expressive, and husky voice of Toni Braxton. Ask yourself, to this day, who sounds like Toni? The richness of her instrument is perfect for capturing the love pain. “Come and kiss the pain away,” she sings in the second verse, “I can’t forget the day you left.” Sad. While Toni brings those sad lyrics and melodies to life, iconic songwriter Diane Warren penned this masterpiece. The best moment, of course, comes on the centerpiece, the incredibly tuneful chorus:

“Un-break my heart

Say you’ll love me again

Undo this hurt you caused

When you walked out the door

And walked out of my life

Un-cry these tears

I cried so many nights

Un-break my heart

My heart.”

Also, give credit to producer David Foster, who crafts an ultra-classy, refined backdrop for Braxton. Ultimately, “Un-Break My Heart” is one of those once in a lifetime records. Had Toni recorded nothing else before or afterward, she’d be remembered for this song right here.